Casey’s robbery convict to be sentenced Aug. 15

A man who helped rob a Newton convenience store last November is about to be sentenced, while the two teens who were with him and a pair of Newton men accused of being accessories have upcoming court dates.

Matthew S. Bridges, 24, of Eldora, has a sentencing hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Aug. 15 at the Jasper County Courthouse with District Judge Terry Rickers. Bridges was recently convicted in a jury trial of one count of first-degree robbery and two counts of using a juvenile to commit the crime.

He faces as many as 45 years in state prison if his sentences are run consecutively.

Bridges was one of five people arrested in connection to a Nov. 4 armed robbery that occurred at a Newton Casey’s General Store. The Casey’s store at 1200 W. 18th St. S. in Newton, near the Highway 14/Interstate 80 interchange, was robbed at gunpoint by Gabriel L. Crandall, who was 16 at the time of the crime. Crandall, identified in police reports as the gunman in the robbery, agreed to a plea deal May 31 in court. He, like Bridges, also has an Aug. 15 court date. He has a restitution hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. that day.

Taylor D. Helton, 17, who was with Bridges and was also charged with first-degree armed robbery, has a pre-trial conference is set for Sept. 19. She testified against Bridges in his recent trial.

Bridges, Crandall and Helton, all of whom are from the Eldora area, were arrested a few days after the robbery.

Crandall was identified as the gunman who entered the convenience store at gunpoint and left with an undisclosed amount of money. Bridges and Helton were seen in the area on a surveillance camera from a neighboring business.

After the investigation spread outside of Jasper County, Bridges and Helton were identified through the camera footage and found to be co-conspirators in the planning effort of the robbery.

Two Newton-area men, Kyle A. Edwards and Christopher S. Christensen, 22, were charged with accessory to a felony later in November following an investigation, which revealed all three robbery suspects had been at Christensen’s residence after the crime, along with Edwards.

A pre-trial conference for Christensen and Edwards is scheduled for Aug. 29.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com